1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to slide assemblies, and more particularly to compact self-closing slide assemblies with dampening of the self-closing motion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Slide assemblies typically comprise two or more slide segments. In slide assemblies comprising only two slide segments, a first or outer slide segment may be mounted to a frame of a support structure, such as a cabinet or a rack structure, and a second or inner slide segment may be mounted to a movable object, such as a drawer or an internet server, for example. The outer slide segment defines a channel. The inner slide segment is movable in the channel to extend or retract the slide assembly. A bearing assembly may be movably positioned in the channel between the slide segments to facilitate sliding movement of the inner slide segment with respect to the outer slide segment. A three member slide comprises three members, namely an outer, and intermediate, and an inner member. The intermediate member is slidably coupled to the outer member and the inner member is slidably coupled to the intermediate member. Both the intermediate and inner members telescope relative to the outer member. Moreover, the inner member can telescope relative to the intermediate member. Typically the slide inner members are coupled to either side of a movable object, such as a drawer. In some arrangements, the slide assemblies may have multiple intermediate slide members. Bearing assemblies can be positioned between one or more of the slide segments.
In certain situations, drawers may tend to open after they are closed and sometimes drawers do not close completely when they are pushed closed because they are not pushed with sufficient force or they are pushed closed with more force than necessary. When excessive force is used to close a drawer, it can cause the drawer to slam against the cabinet structure and re-open. Also, when drawers are closed with excessive force, it can damage the drawer structure or slide mechanism.
Thus, some slide assemblies include self-closing mechanisms that operate to move the drawer slide to a fully closed position when the slide assembly has been moved to within a particular distance from the fully closed position. However, existing slide mechanisms designed to automatically close a drawer can be bulky and can cause the slide mechanism to take up valuable space within the cabinet or drawer structure, especially in the width direction. Existing mechanisms that control the drawer closing process can also be very complicated and can add significant cost to the slide assembly.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved slide assembly that avoids some or all of the problems discussed above.